Deadlines for Dallas & Harris

Texas protest guidance and both major county districts say essentially the same thing: the deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice of appraised value was mailed, whichever is later. Homeowners hear the May 15 part and forget the second half. That is how people talk themselves into preventable mistakes.

The safest move is to treat the mailed notice date as evidence, not clutter. Save the notice. Screenshot the owner portal. Keep the envelope if you have it. If you end up needing to explain the timing, you do not want to be guessing.

DCAD says online protests through uFile begin April 15, and the district's 2026 site messaging says the protest deadline for real property is May 15, 2026. DCAD also states that fax and email protests are not accepted. That means Dallas homeowners should either use uFile or get written filings postmarked on time.

Because Dallas points owners to one primary electronic lane, there is no upside in waiting. File the protest. Then use the remaining days to tighten comps, upload condition evidence, and prepare for whatever path the district offers next.

HCAD's FAQ says the protest deadline is May 15, unless that falls on a weekend or holiday, or 30 days after the notice of appraised value was mailed if that date is later. HCAD also pushes owners toward the electronic filing and notice system tied to the owner account and iFile number, with iSettle available for certain cases.

That workflow can make Harris County feel easy. It is easier administratively. It is not easier analytically. The calendar work is still the same: preserve the protest on time, then decide what value you are actually trying to prove.

Trap one is waiting for better comps before filing. Trap two is assuming a spouse or consultant filed when they did not. Trap three is relying on a screenshot of the value page without saving the actual notice date. Trap four is focusing so much on the hearing date that you forget the front-end filing deadline is the one that really matters.

There is also a softer trap: filing on time but not leaving enough room to improve the packet afterward. The best homeowners use the deadline to preserve rights early, not as an excuse to procrastinate until midnight.

Once the regular deadline passes, your options shrink. The right next step is to confirm whether the notice was mailed later than expected, whether the account type has a different deadline, and whether any narrow correction or late-relief path might apply. But this is not where you want to live. Late-season options are narrower, slower, and less certain than a normal protest filed on time.

That is why the best deadline advice is boring. File early. Keep proof. Clean up the case afterward.